Fran Willes

Sep 25, 2014

Councillor

Fran Willes – Experience can be an asset

Among the candidates for the two vacant Loughborough District council positions, Fran Willes is the only one with a history on Council. She spent two terms on Loughborough Township Council before amalgamation in 1998, and sat on South Frontenac Township Council between 2001 and 2003. She also ran for mayor in the fall of 2003, losing out to Bill Lake, and ran for Council in 2010.

She has lived at the corner of Sydenham and Rutledge roads for 35 years. She has worked in law offices for many years. She has studied municipal planning and will obtain her Master’s of Urban and Regional Planning from Queen's University next spring.

One of the issues that concerns her this time around is the recent increase in the Development Charges Bylaw that council has instituted.

“This could affect further development in South Frontenac. If we have unfair development charges builders will simply go elsewhere,” she said.

The Sydenham water system is another concern of hers.

“We need to hold a public meeting where all of the villagers’ concerns can be discussed.” she said.

The township’s decision to charge user fees for township halls, she thinks lacks memory, and this is where her experience comes in.

For example, “The Harris Park Hall (in Perth Road Village) was donated to Loughborough Township prior to the 1998 amalgamation. It was conveyed by the Harris family for the use of local residents without fees in perpetuity. Council intends to apply user fees for this hall. This is not appropriate in this instance,” she said.

The concerns of property owners who live on private lanes with regard to emergency services is another issue she thinks council should address.